I recently had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with Carolina Bride for their Fall issue. As you can imagine, I was honored beyond belief.
As I met with then Editor Cristina Wilson to discuss details and envision the article, my heart was pounding. This was it! I was collaborating on a feature, taking notes and making mental images of a storybook Fall wedding.
As the day dawned at the historic Old Sherrill’s Inn near Asheville, NC, it was a drizzly morning and rain was in the forecast throughout the day. Oftentimes near the Great Smoky Mountains, those rainy days will end with a gorgeous sunset, so we kept our fingers crossed while battling with the weather.
Later that evening, a car load of optimists waited near Max Patch Mountain, eyes scanning the sky for a clearing — and suddenly there it was. The wind shifted, the clouds began to part, and the sun slowly slid into view. We immediately jumped out as the sun was racing towards the horizon.
It wasn’t until after we started off the mountain again, the shoot being declared a success, that it dawned on me one of those pictures might be the cover shot. I guess it just goes to show that once the eye goes to the camera, all other thoughts are gone except the beauty that lies immediately in your sight.

Real life is about weathering the storms of life together — Seth Adam Smith

My special thanks to Barbara Pedwell of From This Day Forward Wedding & Event Design, who truly did an incredible job bringing this vision to life and to my amazing assistant Jessica Henry.
Full contributors list below.

Here’s the actual magazine feature for those that weren’t able to get their hands on a hard copy!